The shooting of singer Bebe Cool soon after the concert may have dampened the mood but fans will still remember the great show for years, writes Stevens Muendo
By the time the mammoth crowd realised the show was over, Robert Sylvester Kelly aka R Kelly was back to his hotel suite in Serena Hotel in Kampala— preparing to leave for another concert in Ghana.
The fans waited in anticipation, convinced the American star had gone backstage to freshen up before one last song after performing for over an hour.
The singer and his back-up vocalists prolonged (singing) the Happy People hit, which was R Kelly’s final act.
And at the gates, long queues still stretched with more fans surging into the venue. Tickets ready in hand their hope remained alive. Catching a glimpse of the pied piper of R&B whose singing career spans over 20 years was not to be taken lightly.
American music star R Kelly |
So rapturous was the reception that for about five minutes, R Kelly and the accompanying band members could not start the show.
"Tonight, I will sing every song I have ever written," the controversial R Kelly charged the already ecstatic crowd before belting out a remixed version of his Fiesta hit.
Hundreds of fans waited in queues forming rings around the stadium having paid for the concert but getting no way through. With patience running out the expected occurred. A stampede broke out. The numbers overwhelmed police officers.
The much-hyped I Believe concert, R Kelly’s East African debut concert set a new bench mark for other concerts in the region. The controversial star landed in Kampala on Thursday evening with an entourage of 40 people. His long convoy, which was heavily manned by police, caused a stir and heavy traffic jam as it snaked thorough the streets from the airport to Serena Hotel.
It was hell for journalists as R Kelly’s security denied them any chance to field their questions. The singer did not spare a minute for the press. It later emerged that R Kelly had an agreement with the concert organisers not talk to the press.
Further controversy followed when R Kelly snubbed a heavily attended ceremony arranged by organisers the next morning. The singer was to address showbiz and corporate stakeholders at the Uganda National Theatre but instead he chose not to show up.
For hours, journalists camped at the venue only to be informed at midday that R Kelly was jetlagged and was still resting. A member of his team alluded that the singer was sick of journalists questioning him of his sex scandals and his marriage with the then-teenaged singer Aaliyah.
Still, sources from Serena Hotel told Pulse crew that the singer had demanded that two floors of the five star hotel including a presidential suite be set aside for him and his entourage.
"It was hell for us as every detail had to be observed. From food to drinks, to security and movement in the hotel, it’s like everything came to a stand still after R Kelly came in," the source confided.
"Among others, we had spared 10 business suites for R Kelly. He had a special changing room. In total, the accommodation fee came close to Sh1.5 million. The bills for meals and drinks were quite huge," added the source, a manager at the hotel.
It is understood that the hotel was forced to import some of the drinks according to the A-list artiste demands, prior to his arrival.
But all is peanuts compared to the whopping Sh60 million he was paid for the performance, besides the air tickets that saw him and his men fly business class from the US to Uganda.
Not that everything was smooth sailing. The show was almost cancelled at the eleventh hour due to logistic problems. R Kelly’s engineer is said to have gotten impatient with the organisers as the sound system, which was being imported from UK by Gigs Factory, was delayed.
R Kelly fans at the Kampala concert |
"We were working on short notice. The equipment was supposed to be in Kampala a week before the show. But there were delays and R Kelly’s technician who had been in the country since Monday was not taking anyone’s word for it. At one point he called (R) Kelly and told him that he was giving us 12 hours to get things in order or he cancels the show," said a guy who identified himself as Solomon, of Gigs factory.
After the equipment landed at Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday, Gigs Factory was forced to charter a private plane to Kampala so as to save the show.
Tickets were going for between Sh3,000 to Sh8, 000 making it one of the most costly concerts witnessed in the region in the recent past.
But the exorbitant rates did not deter the fans who made financial sacrifices and purchased tickets in numbers that overwhelmed the organisers.
On the material day as the gates to the concert opened at 4pm, the queues were long and unmanageable. Whoever arrived after 8pm never made it in before 11.40pm when the curtains came down.
At 8.30pm, local rapper GNL opened the stage hyping the crowd with his Kiknkane hit and was followed by the King of Dancehall Peter Miles who rocked the crowd with an energetic performance. The Goodlyfe duo of Mowzey and Weasel were next, paving way to Bebe Cool and Jose Chameleone who in a rare union shared the stage singing Bebe Cool’s Bogolako remix.
The sound and stage lighting was amazing and the crowd liked every moment of the build-up show singing in chorus to every song their homeboys performed. Dr Mitch, the MC of the night had the crowd in stitches with his humorous acts.
But the day belonged to R Kelly who set the stadium on fire the moment he stepped on stage.
Amidst the frenzied cheers, R Kelly hit the ground with a jig, and for five minutes engaged the overjoyed fans in short remixes of his popular hits. Most of the remixed pieces were remixed tracks taken of his old albums 12 Play, R. Kelly, TP-2.com, Chocolate Factory and Happy People/U Saved Me.
He also did an introduction of some of his latest songs off his latest album Untitled which features Keri Hilson, Tyrese, Robin Thicke and The-Dream.
And soon, it all slowed down to his hits such as I Wish, Wind for Me, Trapped in the Closet, Step in the name of Love, Gigolo, You Remind Me of Something, I Can’t Sleep (Baby If I) Down Low, and Bump N’ Grind.
"I am doing this for every one who has ever had a dream. Just to let you know that you can make it…" R Kelly said and went mute for seconds before blowing the crowd away with a sensational performance of his I Believe I can Fly hit single.
And little did the crowd know that the show was coming to an end.
As the band begun strumming to the popular Happy People single, R Kelly made a smooth exit from the venue leaving a dancing crowd asking for more.
But a wind of shock and uncertainty engulfed Kampala later that night as news broke out that Bebe Cool had been shot hours after performing at R Kelly’s concert.
